Kano workers to start enjoying NHIS in August – Coordinator
NAN-HG-4
Healthcare
By Zubairu Idris
Katsina, June 29, 2017 (NAN) No fewer than 557,246 civil servants in Kano State start enjoying the newly introduced Contributory Healthcare Scheme under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in August.
Alhaji Shu’aibu Indabawa, the NHIS Zonal Coordinator in charge of Kano, Katsina and Jigawa states, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen on Thursday in Katsina.
He said that the Kano State Government had already established a Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency to implement the programme.
Indabawa said that 323,000 health facilities had been selected for the programme across the 44 local government areas of Kano state.
He explained that the scheme was aimed at providing people access to affordable and quality healthcare services, which was one of the top priorities of the present administration.
According to him, junior staff would contribute a minimum of N1,400, while lawmakers would contribute the maximum of N10,000 from their salaries monthly.
He revealed that the funds would be used to provide healthcare services to a head of household, his wife and four children, every month, if need arises.
He further said that the NHIS had discussed with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state who promised their support to ensure the success of the programme.
Indabawa said that the registered workers in Kano state would start accessing services at their chosen healthcare centres in August.
However, the zonal coordinator said that the beneficiaries were only those on the payroll of the Kano State Civil Service.
“For now, we are starting with state government workers before extending to other category of workers in the state,’’ he said.
The coordinator, therefore, urged lawmakers in Katsina and Jigawa states to hasten passage of the bill before them for implementation of the scheme.
“We will continue to persuade relevant stakeholders in those states on the importance of implementing the scheme for the benefit of their people,’’ he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that NHIS was introduced to ensure universal access to good healthcare services for Nigerians by protecting them from financial barriers to healthcare services. (NAN)
ZI/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola